Pete Hegseth Junks US Army-Mandated Flu Vaccines For ‘Medical Autonomy’
Department of War Secretary Pete Hegseth rescinded the annual, mandatory flu vaccine issued to members of the Joint Forces. Hegseth reasoned that the policy infringed on service members’ “medical autonomy” and religious freedom.
“Under the disastrous Biden administration, this Pentagon waged an unrelenting war on our warriors on many fronts, including when denying them simple medical autonomy and the freedom to express their religious convictions,” Hegseth announced.
The secretary blamed then-President Joe Biden for making the COVID-19 vaccine mandatory for service members. He went on to speculate about the effectivity of the COVID-19 vaccines. Then, Hegseth alleged that the prescribed vaccine is unnecessary.
“Our men and women in uniform were forced to choose between their conscience and their country, even when those decisions posed no threat to our military readiness. You know what I’m talking about—what happened with COVID-19 and the vaccine.”
Following the criticism on the COVID-19 vaccines, Hegseth announced that he would also be scrapping the required annual flu vaccine. It’s important to clarify that the annual influenza vaccine has been mandated for service personnel since the 1950s.
“The notion that a flu vaccine must be mandatory for every service member, everywhere, in every circumstance, at all times, is just overly broad and not rational,” Hegseth said. The new policy allows service members to freely take the vaccine or opt out of it entirely.
He also added, “But we will not force you, because your body, your faith, and your convictions are not negotiable to your health.” To Hegseth, the decision is “common sense.”
It’s not ‘common sense’ to rescind vaccines
Potentially compromising the health of active duty members is anything but.
Hegseth got praised by anti-vaxxers online but was still largely criticized over his controversial decision. Rep. Jason Crow from Colorado called Hegseth “reckless,” adding that the decision “puts military readiness at risk.”
Dr. Neil Stone, an infectious diseases doctor, commented on the situation. He brought up that George Washington mandated inoculation against smallpox for his troops.
Needless to say, there has been an onslaught of vaccine denial during COVID-19. Despite multiple studies that prove the vaccine’s effectivity, the secretary insists on debating the necessity to implement the policy during the Biden years.
Why were flu vaccines a yearly requirement
Flu vaccines are mandated on an annual basis is because the virus rapidly mutates. Thus, updates on vaccines are needed. Moreover, it reduces the severity of the disease on the infected person. Even if a person contracts the flu, the vaccine decreases the likelihood of pneumonia and other secondary infections.
Moreover, service members are often forced to acclimate in different environments they travel to. With the stress of travel and exposure to unfamiliar pathogens, vaccines serve as an added layer of protection. With service members often stationed in different parts of the world, having no mandatory flu vaccine exposes them to a greater risk of infection.
Even for service members who aren’t deployed abroad, a vaccine would still be crucial to protect colleagues from an office outbreak.
The bottomline is, religious beliefs should not take precedence over the health of service personnel. “Common sense,” in this case, would be to view vaccines as a matter of public health rather than a political tool. It is antithetical to common sense to politicize the issue, especially with the possibility of deployment in the Iran War.
(featured image: The White House)
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